10,000 Pageviews and Counting

More than 9 months ago, inspired by a friend of mine, who ran her own blog about cosmetics, I decided that I wanted to have a blog as well. I started thinking about topics on which to write about. I disregarded the option of simply pouring staff that come up in my mind because I wanted a specialized blog, which will attract a certain niche. I asked myself the question: "What do I know enough about and I am passionate as to produce something really worth reading?" The answer was in my question. Reading.

Firstly, the purpose of my blog was for my own sake (such an egoist I am). I wanted to write reviews on books I have read so that months later I can come back and remember what fascinated me, what irritated me, what provoked me, what made me cry or laugh in a certain novel. As the blog progressed though, the narcissist side of my character wanted more and more audience and more and more followers. I spent more time searching for the right words to express my views, thinking about how to get more people interested, changing my reviews from boring summaries of the novels into more untraditional and provocative ideas. Nine months later, as I have hit 10,000 pageviews, I look back and I am happy with what I have achieved.

I have written 73 posts, 59 of which are about novels I have read. The other 14 are just random thoughts, news, or trivia about novels, authors, writing, etc. Surprisingly for me, the most read reviews were not the ones I like the most. I am sad that some of the books I wrote most passionately about do not find their place in the following list. Still, here it is.

Top 5 most viewed reviews:
1. The Bronte Paradox - Wuthering Heights VS Jane Eyre - 2,260 views
2. L'Homme Qui Rit by Victor Hugo - 673 views
3. Charles Bukowski's Alter Ego in Post Office - 345 views
4. Life of PI by Yann Martel - 297 views
5. Stephen King - The Dead Zone - 122 views

The ultimate winner, the Bronte sisters argument, is an absolute surprise to me. I didn't really like Jane Eyre, I really liked Wuthering Heights, but I wasn't really sure whether I wanted to write this exact comparison. Maybe because it is an unorthodox view or maybe because it is a popular google search, this article steadily takes the number 1 place.

As for visitors:
Top 5 visitors from countries:
1. USA - 2,800 views
2. UK - 1,459 views
3. Bulgaria - 1,422 views
4. Canada - 387 views
5. India - 224 views

The first three are of no surprise but the last two make me proud. I am happy that people from so distant countries and from different cultures and backgrounds spare some of their time to read my thoughts.

I am mostly proud from the following graph, which is pretty self-explanatory. I hope I will continue upwards in the months to come.

Thanks to starting a blog and researching other sites of that matter, I stumbled upon my favorite Bulgarian website about reading. Thank you, Alex, for the opportunity to share my thoughts with a greater audience.

1. Life of Pi by Yann Martel in BG
2. Shogun by James Clavell in BG
3. Interview about my reading habits

As for you, my dear readers, I am happy to have you here in my blog. I will continue reading and sharing my thoughts with you. I will try to read different books, to comment on interesting facts about the authors, and to help you choose the right book for you.

As for me, I benefitted a lot from the blog. I met many new people who share my passion, I discovered other blogs for book reviews, I read so many influential and great novels, and most importantly, for the first time in my life I started something and I didn't give it up in only several months. I am proud of myself ( I rarely say that) and I am proud of Read With Style.

And to end with wisdom (as I always try in my reviews), as John Waters said: "If you go home with somebody and they don't have books, don't fuck them"